For this Savvy Shopper meal planning is simple

Simplicity

There is a saying of failing to plan is the same as planning to fail. While the point has a lot of validity, I think it is even more essential to make sure that the premise underlying any scheme is sound. After all, where lack of preparation only increases the likelihood of failure, bad assumptions all but guarantee it.

When I give Savvy Shopper courses, I am often asked how I prepare a shopping list. Behind most of the questions is the inaccurate presumption my list is based on meal planning. In fact, I consider this approach to be a seriously bad idea. Instead, I keep a steady amount of food based on how much I use and how often I go to the store.

When there is a great price or my supply gets too low, I buy more. My wife does the cooking and bases our meals on what we have at the house.

Nothing more, nothing less.

When I explain this to some people, they seem nonplussed and unconvinced this method is the best way. For me, this approach is utterly foundational for Savvy Shopping.

Ultimately, it is imperative for anyone interested in saving money and time to maintain a stockpile instead of shopping based on a menu. Here’s why:

Simplicity

Creating a checklist based on upcoming meals requires looking up specials, matching recipes and compiling a list. In my opinion, this is way too complicated. As a parallel, consider gasoline. Where it makes total sense to fill up when the fuel gauge or gas price is low, a person using the menu planning method would estimate the number of miles they will drive, divide it by their car’s miles per gallon and buy the number of gallons calculated. Clearly, doing it this way is senseless. If such an approach is ill-advised for buying gas, is it any better for groceries? Similarly, think of the pantry like a car’s gas tank. To get the best prices and minimize the number of trips, keep a minimum amount of fuel/food in the tank/pantry. When an item runs low or the price is good, add it to your shopping list and buy it. What could be simpler?

Trips

The simpler the method, the fewer the mistakes. With a meal-based approach, the chance of error and having to go back to the store is a virtual certainty. More trips means more cost and more time.

Time

A menu-based method requires reviewing circulars, recipes and checking what you have on hand. Factoring in the inherent back and forth involved with matching ingredients to specials, this can’t help but be time consuming. By comparison, stockpile shopping enables you to bypass the recipe matchups entirely and save a lot of time and effort.

Cost

In theory, planning upcoming dinners around available deals saves money. The reality is there are weeks when good deals are scarce. In addition, even when specials exist, they may not be for the desired products. On top of that, what are the odds that all the necessary ingredients will be on sale at the same time? In any case, a buyer is left wanting. By contrast, keeping a supply of the items you regularly use enables you to have them when needed. At the same time, this flexibility enables you to get them exclusively at the best possible price.

Quality

On a week when desirable products are not on sale, a meal based shopper might be tempted to make do and buy lower-priced and less-desirable offerings. Where’s the value? Keep in mind that the alternative makes such compromises completely unnecessary.

Flexibility

A flawed assumption with arranging shopping around a menu is it presumes the planned meals will be desirable at some point between trips to the store. What if you, your spouse, or kids end up in the mood for something else? Whether you only eat what is available or accommodate your family and incur greater costs, you will end up on a short end. What kind of deal is that? By keeping a supply of commonly used ingredients, you can stay adaptable and lower your costs.

Hopefully, I have convinced you of menu based shopping’s futility and the awesomeness of building a stockpile. As a minimum, I would love if the above points have given you food for thought and will start you questioning your assumptions.

If you have any questions about my recommendations, please submit your thoughts to the Lubbock Savvy Shopper site on Facebook (Log on to Facebook and enter “Lubbock Savvy Shopper” in the search tool) or write us at SavvyShoppers@lubbockonline.com.

Also, where you have ideas on getting more value from life while spending less, we would also love to hear from you. Our group is thriving but you can never thrive too much. You can put the “U” in community and make us complete. Don’t miss out!

SEAN FIELDS is one of The A-J’s Savvy Shoppers. Read his columns Wednesdays, and catch Rachel Hardy on Sunday.